A suite at the Morgan State House at 393 State Street in Albany shown on Thursday. (Skip Dickstein / Times Union)
Another suite at the Morgan State House at 393 State Street in Albany shown on Thursday. (Skip Dickstein / Times Union)
Chuck Kuhtic sets up the bed in a suite at the Morgan State House at 393 State Street in Albany, showing the linen that clients love to buy. (Skip Dickstein / Times Union)
Internet is used to sell guests pillows, linens, even mattresses
By ERIC ANDERSON, Deputy business editor
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Friday, January 19, 2007
ALBANY -- It started with the bedding.
"People were staying with us and asking, 'Where can we get this stuff,' " recalled Charles Kuhtic, owner of the Morgan State House, an upscale inn on State Street in downtown Albany. "All of our pillows are custom-made," overstuffed with down so they don't lose their shape, he said. Then there are the sheets, made of Egyptian cotton, with its soft texture. With all the inquiries from guests, Kuhtic decided to start offering the bedding for sale. Now, "we probably have 100 guests out there who bought the whole bed," he said. Hotels are finding a market for everything from their clock radios to towels and toiletries among guests who want to re-create their hotel experience at home.
At the Saratoga Hotel & Conference Center in Saratoga Springs, guests can order a Serta mattress just like the one they slept on in their room, said Bill O'Boyle, the hotel's general manager. "If I get one compliment consistently, it's the quality of the bed," he said.
Marriott International Inc. maintains a Web site, as do a number of other major hotel corporations, where you can purchase a wide range of products identical to those in your hotel room, said Carrie Hillenbrandt, director of sales and marketing at the Albany Marriott in Colonie. She said the hotel chain launched a new bedding package a little more than a year ago that has been popular with guests.
Hotels have long offered robes for sale, possibly to discourage guests from just taking them. But as they've concentrated on such amenities as comfortable beds and fancy toiletries, they've discovered there's a market for these items, too.
"It took hotels until the early 1990s to realize the mattress was the most important thing in the room," said O'Boyle. "Ours is called a Master Suite. It's a Serta, but you can't buy it in stores." Instead, O'Boyle will provide guests with a Web site on request from which they can order their own hotel mattress. Some hotel chains have extended their products beyond the standard room fixtures.
Westin, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., offers a suede dog bed, a collar and a leash -- in addition to the typical toiletries, towels, slippers and bedding -- on its Westin Store site.
And the Hilton Hotels online store offers its MP3 clock radio for $60 -- or $110 with a CD player -- as well as bedding, toiletries and towels.
At Morgan State House, Kuhtic plans to expand his offerings. He launched a Web site, www.statehouseinteriors.com, and is constantly adding products. "Towels are on their way," Kuhtic said Thursday. "We do our own bathrobes. The sheets are the next thing that will be here soon." While he has no plans to offer the toiletries that guests find in the bathrooms of his 16-room inn, Kuhtic sees plenty of growth for the soft goods he does offer. And he said they're cheaper through him than through a retail store. "My comforter that sells for around $250, it's quality that would sell for $500 or $600 retail," Kuhtic said. Asked whether his ancillary business was profitable, he answered, "It will be."
Eric Anderson
can be reached at 454-5323 or by e-mail at eanderson@timesunion.com.
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NON-SMOKING POLICY -
The inn and all guest suites are NON- Smoking.
Smoking is permitted in the garden only.
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CHILDREN -
Our
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MORGAN STATE HOUSE | 393 State Street - Albany, New York 12210
Phone 518-427-6063 | Toll Free 888-427-6063 | Fax 518-463-1316
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christmas, happy birthday,
fresh long stem roses, fresh tulips, exotic flowers, buy flowers online,
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State
House Interiors
"Our beds are our Signature"
State House Interiors.
Honoring the European tradition.
State House Interiors offers luxurious 100% cotton towels, robes,
and fine linens as well as custom made down bedding.
We believe that your rest is most important.
Our commitment to you is to provide you with "The Ultimate Night's
Rest"™.
Now you can experience the luxury of top quality bedding in your home.
State house Interiors gift certificates are available.
Gift ideas: holiday, anniversary, birthday, congratulations,
corporate, friendship, get well, good luck, housewarming, just because,
romantic, sympathy, thank you, wedding, graduation, etc.
The Robe
State House Interiors offers the most luxurious robes in the industry.
100% ring spun cotton Shawl collar unisex 52" long velour robe.
Full length sleeves and two lower front pockets.
The Comforter
Our comforter is oversized so that it will drape over an extra thick
mattress.
The shell is our woven damask sateen stripe fabric that is 100% cotton
and 300 thread count.
It is incredibly soft to the touch. The comforter is filled with our
special premium white
goose down with a fill power of 650 cubic inches per ounce, making our
comforters among
the highest weight in the industry. Each is sewn with a box-stitch construction
to eliminate
the down shifting away from you as you sleep.
The Pillow
Our pillow is filled with our Premium White Goose Down and it is overfilled
giving
you the most support you can get from a 100% down pillow. It will not
become flat
as you sleep on it. It is filled with the same down that we use in our
luxurious comforters,
and makes a fantastic pillow. The shell is our woven damask sateen stripe
fabric,
constructed of 100% 300 thread count cotton, which makes it incredibly
soft to the touch.
The Featherbed
Sleeping on a State House featherbed is a luxurious experience. Our
feather beds cradle your
body in comfort while providing ample support. We use only the finest
materials - 250 thread-count,
100% cotton down-proof shell. Our Baffled-Box Featherbed is filled with
a traditional
95% feather/5% goose down blend that are naturally curled to provide
superior support.
Its construction has a 2 inch side and inside walls that keep the feathers
and down in place.
The Pillow Protector Cover
Protect your investment. A safeguarding layer over your down products
extends their life.
Our 100% combed cotton protectors have a zippered closure, come in standard
sizes,
and are safe to machine wash and dry. Down Proof pack of 2.
The Featherbed Protector Cover
Protect your investment. A safeguarding layer over your down products
extends their life.
Our 100% combed cotton protectors have a zippered closure, come in standard
sizes,
and are safe to machine wash and dry.
We are proud to be an earth friendly hotel and
take careful
steps to assure global protection. We feel that it is important that
The Morgan State House does its small part to
safeguard the earth and all it's inhabitants.
We use earth friendly products which are non-toxic, plant-based,
free of phosphates, chlorine, petroleum chemicals and a variety of other
harmful ingredients. They are 100% biodegradable, and not tested on
animals.
Our detergents are designed for everyone and anyone who wants
to retain their good health. They contain no carcinogens, are non-toxic
and plant based. In short, earth friendly products are the type of products
sought by people who are concerned about reducing the amount of toxins
and in their environment, including those sensitive to allergies.
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